Dozens of residents of a nursing rehab center were waiting to be transported to another facility following an afternoon fire.
Vanderburgh Emergency Management Agency Director Cliff Weaver said the operation was complete a mere 30 minutes prior to a storm with heavy rainfall covered the area.
Weaver and other agencies had to coordinate transportation for 76 residents of the Parkview Care Center convalescent home just outside Evansville, to different nearby care facilities.
Little by little, residents are lifted onto waiting METS Mobility buses — which have a limited number of spaces for riders in wheel chairs.
This all started with a two-alarm fire at12:20 PM, with smoke in the rear of the building and an activated sprinkler system.
The fire was suppressed by 12:45. Several residents were transported for care and observation by city EMS or American Medical Response.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The McCutchanville Fire Department took the lead on the site, while support agencies included the Evansville Fire Department, Ohio Township Fire Department, Scott Township Fire Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, American Medical Response and Evansville Fire/EMS.
